Intermittent drive mechanism



H. D. PENNEY T AL.

INTERMTTBNT DRIVE MECHANIS fa Original Filed Nov. 17 3.917

inver@ @no cro uw@ Patented r.inne 25, 192.3.

iran sri* 1,459,796 PTET FMQE HAROLD D. PENNEY, OF, PELHAM, AND CHARLES E. WHITEMAN, OF RICHMOND HILL,

NEW YORK, AND GEORGE F. RUSS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW' JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO AUTOMATIC INSERTING MACHINE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COR- PORATION 0F NEW YORK.

INTERMITTENT DRIVE MCHANISM.

Original application filed November 17, 1917, Serial No. 201,950. Patent No. 1,317,387. Divided and this application filed August 12, 1919.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, HAROLD D. PENNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Pelham, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, and CHARLES. E. VHITE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Richmond Hill, in the county of Queens and State of New York, and GEORGE F. Russ, a citizen of the United States, residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Intermittent Drive Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to intermittent mechanical movements and intermittently movable conveyors, more particularly as applied to machines for filling, and closing envelopes, and has for its object to improve generally the construction of such intermittent movements and to increase their capabilities. i

An object of the invention is to provide a very eiicient and practical intermittent movement and particularly to provide an improved travelling chain construction for conveying envelopes from one set of manipulating devices to another, and an improved means for imparting intermittent movement to such chain.

These and still other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention herein described relates to matter divided from our copending application Serial No. 201,950, filed Nov. 17, 1917, for envelope iilling and closing machines which has issued as Patent No. 1,317,387, September th, 1919, of which the present application is a division.

The machine described in said copending application comprises besides other mechanisms, mechanism for holding bac-k the Hap of the envelopes, mechanism for inserting the circulars into the envelopes, and mechanism for tucking the flaps in after the circulars have been inserted. An endless conveyor chain is provided with means for clamping the envelopes therein for presenting the envelopes to the above mechanisms, and in order to give the inserting and tucking mechanisms time to act'upon the envelopes, there is provided a novel worm Serial No. 317,002.

drive for imparting intermittent travel to the chain. This novel drive forms the main subject-matter of the present application.

vWhile herein we have described minute details of our invention, the invention is not limited to these, since various changes may be made in the construction and combination of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. ln the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example one of many possible embodiments of our invention,-

F ig. 1 is a side elevationof the intermittent worm drive and the reversing-screw for causing the worm to reciprocate upon the shaft that drives it;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the worm drive;

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view taken approximatelv on the llinedt of Fig. 4, showing the housing for the shoe that engages the grooves of and reciprocates the reversing screw; and

F ig. 41- is a rear elevation of the shoe housmg.

The chain conveyor comprises a pair of chains 20 carried on the sprocket wheels 21 and 22 in turn rotatably mounted on sprocket shafts 2dand 2-3. The sprocket wheels 21 are fiXedly mounted on said shaft 25, as is also the worm wheel 26meshing with the worm threads 28 of the sleeve 29 having sliding movements on the main drive shaft 30 but constrained to rotate therewith by means of a suitable key fixed to the sleeve and engaging in a keyway 31 on said shaft.

The sleeve 29 is provided with a pair of intersecting spiral grooves 36 and 88 of equal opposite pitch, the pitch of one of the grooves 238 being equal and in the same direction as the pitch of the worm threads 28. The both ends of said grooves respectively are joined, whereby there is formed a single endless groove in which engages the shoe 39 (Fig. 3) carried on a shank 10 pivotally mounted in the housing 41 supported on the frame 5 and `receiving said sleeve 29.

lVhen the sleeve 29 and the shaft 80 are rotated the sleeve will be caused, by the engagement between said shoe and grooves, to slide along the shaft in one direction or the other depending upon whether the shoe is in the groove 36 or 38. When the shoe comes to the end of a groove it will immediately pass into the other groove of opposite pitch and the direction of the sliding movement will be reversed. Thus, during the rotation of the shaft, the whole sleeve 29 with the worm threads 28 thereon, will not only rotate but will reciprocate upon the shaft 30 a distance equalvto the length of the grooved portion of the sleeve. 7h-en the shoe is at either eXtreme of the spiral grooves (Figs. 7 and 9), there will, of course, be an instantaneous pause in the sliding movement of the sleeve.

During ,the operation `of the machine, tl e worm wheel 26 and the chains 2O move to the left on Fig. 1. For every rotation of the shaft 30 or sleeve 29, there is a relative displacement between the worm 28 and the teeth of the wheel 26 equal to the pitch of the screw, which is also equal to the pitch of the groove 36. There is at the same time, a relative sliding movement between the sleeve and the shaft 30 equal to the pitch of the screw or groove. Therefore, when the sleeve is sliding to the right of Fig. 1, these movements are added and the teeth of the wheel 26 move twice the distance of the pitch of the screw for each rotation of the sleeve.

On the other hand, when the sleeve slides leftwardly on Fig. 1, the distance of the pitch of the groove, for each rotation of the sleeve, the teeth of the wheel 26 move relatively to the worm in the opposite direction the same distance, and the two movements neutralize each other so that there is no actual movement of the worm wheel 26 at all.

IConsequently while the shaft 3() continuously rotates, there is an intermittent movement of thewheel 26 and the chains 20, the chain conveyor being maintained at a dead stop between each movement a length of time equal to the time of such movement.

In order to hold the shoe 39 steady, while in the intermediate part of the groove, a spring plate 42 (Figs. 3 and 4) is iiXed to the shank 40 and is provided with a small projection `44 adapted to snap into engagement with one of the small notches 45 in the notched plate 46 secured to the housing 41. This engagement takes place at either limit of movement of the shoe.

From the feed rollers 9() of the magazine envelopes are fed to the chain conveyor 6. Now will be described the means carried by the chain conveyor for conveying the envelopes from the feeding means to the various mechanisms 14, 15. At equal intervals upon the chains 2O there are provided brackets 120, each provided with a downwardly lturned end piece 121 secured to said chains respectively and forming a part of a link thereof. Upon the bracket 120 is secured a cross-piece 122 provided at its ends with cut-out grooves 124 engaging the edges of the front and rear guide plates 126 and 128 carried on the frame of the machine. Beneath the chains 2O are provided supporting tracks 129 holding the upper part of the chains in alinement and said cross-pieces against said guides. Extending from the forward edge of the -cross-piece 122 is a pair of lugs 130 between which are pivotally mounted on the rod 131 a pivoted dog 132 provided at its upper part with a clip 134 adapt-ed to be pressed against a strip of friction material secured upon the top face of the cross-piece 122. rlhis clip is held in yieldable engagement with said friction material by means of a coil spring 136 engaging under the cross-piece 132 and against the tail 136 forming the lower part of said dog. At appropriate times, appropriate means such as the cam abutment 140 engage this tail to hold said clip out of engagement with the friction material.

The clips just described are so disposed and the periods of rest and motion of the chain are so regulated, that said clips are brought to rest just beyond the inserting mechanisms and the flap-tucking mechanism and just over the edge of the cam abutment 140 placed between the tracks 129 between the envelope magazine and the flap-opening device. The envelope feed is so timed that an envelope is fed with its forward end under the clip 134 just as this clip is about to advance from over. the abutment 140. When the chain is again advanced, the tail 138 slips olf from the edge of the abutment 140, and the clip, underthe action of the spring' 136, clamps the end of the envelope to the cross-piece 122 and the envelope is carried past the Hap-opening device 11 to the inserting-mechanism, and thence, after a pause. passes to the flap closing mechanism.

The operation of the conveyor will be readily understood from the foregoing.

W e claim: Y'

1. In combination, a rotatable means; intermittent drive means for suddenly accelerating said rotatable means tohigh speed and periodically suddenly positively stopping the same while at said high speed and posi'- tively holding the same against forward or retrograde movement, whereby said means is suddenly positively brought to actual rest l for a period of time; said drive means comprising a drive member; a reciprocating mechanism adapted to drive said member in one direction and to be itself driven in said direction and in the opposite direction.

2, In combination, a worm; a shaft; a continuously rotated sleeve slidable on said shaft, and provided with a worm thread engaging said wormand with a pair of intersecting spiral grooves joined at their ends and of opposite pitch; and a positioning means engaging in said grooves.

3. In combination, a drive shaft; a worm on said shaft; a continuously rotated, slidable longitudinal member provided with a Worm thread engaging said Worm, and With a pair of intersecting spiral grooves joined at their ends and of opposite pitch, the pitch of one of the grooves being equal to and in the same direction as the pitch of the Worm thread; and a shoe adapted to engage in said grooves.

4L. In combination, a Worm Wheel; a main drive shaft; a sleeve constrained to rotate with said drive shaft and slidable thereon, said sleeve being provided With Worin threads engaged by said Worm, and with a pair of intersecting spiral grooves, the pitch of one of the grooves being equal to and in the same direction as the pitch of the Worm thread; and a pivoted shoe adapted to engag successively in said grooves.

5. In combination, a driven shaft; a Worm on said driven shaft; a main drive sha-ft having a longitudinal lreyvvay thereon a continuously rotated sleeve slidable on said shaft, and provided With a key engaged in said lreyivay, and provided with a Worm thread engaging said Worm, and with a pair of intersecting spiral grooves joined at their ends and of opposite pitch; and a shoe adapted to engage in said grooves.

6. In combination, a main trame; driving sprockets thereon; a chain on said sprockets; a main drive shaft provided with a keyvvay; a sleeve slidable on said shaft and provided with a key engaging in said keyvvay and provided with Worm threads and a pair of intersecting spiral grooves joined at their ends and of equal and opposite pitch, the pitch of one of the grooves being equal to and in the same direction as the pitch ot' the ivorm threads; a Worm Wheel fixed for rotation with one of said sprockets and engaged by said threads; a housing lixed to the main frame and receiving the grcoved part of the sleeve; and a shoe pivoted in said housing and adapted to engage in said grooves.

7. In combination, a rotary driven member having teeth; a rotary driving member having threads engaging said teeth; and means for causing said driving member to move transversely to said threads. as said driving member rotates and While said drivenmember is stationary.

8. In combination, a Worm. Wheel; a continuously rotary driving member provided with a thread engaging said Worm Wheel; and means for axially reciprocating said driving member While the worm Wheel Ais at.

times stationary, j

9. In combination, a rotary driven member having teeth; a rotary driving member having threads engaging said teeth; and means other than and exclusive of ysaid driven member for causing said driving member to move transversely to said threads as said driving member rotates While the driven member is intermittently stationary,

10. In combination, a Worm Wheel a continuously rotary driving member provided With `a thread engaging said worm Wheel; and means other than driven member for axially reciprocating said driving member While the latter rotates, and While the Wheel is intermittently stationary.

ll. In combination, a driven worm Wheel; a rotary member With threads engaging and driving said Worm Wheel; and means for causing said member to reciprocate axially at substantially constant speeds as said. member rotates, thereby to intermittently drive said Worm Wheel at constant speed and to hold the Worm at intermediate extendedr periods of rest.

l2. In combination, a driven Worm wheel; a rotary member provided with threads engaging and driving said worm Wheel; and means for causing said member to move axially in opposite directions as said member rotates, the speed of movement of the member throughout the period of one of said directions being suchithat the Worm Wheel is held stationary.

13. In combination, a Worm Wheel; a continuously rotary axially reciprocatory mem` ber provided With a Worm thread engaging said Worm wheel and with a spiral groove; and a positioning means engaging `said spiral groove. n lll. In combination, a Worm Wheel; a continuously rotary axially reciprocatory member provided With a Worm thread engaging said Worm Wheel and With a pair of intersecting spiral grooves joined at their ends andfof opposite pitch; and a positioning means engaging said grooves.

HAROLD D. PENN EY. CHARLES E. IVHITEMAN. GEORGE F, RUSS. Witnesses Lnivis A. OLsEN, H. M. KILPATRICK.

and exclusive of said 

